Dope Music, Deep Reviews.

Sal Houdini’s “Messages” Are Lost In Translation

He initially might have fallen under your radar with his remix of Drake’s “Can I” feat. Beyonce or his rendition of “On A Wave”. In these tracks he fills the gaps with situational evidence via soulful vocals and a strong rhyming ability.

Sal Houdini is a 21-year-old R&B/Pop artist with Greek and Afghastani roots. He fostered an interest in music after picking up singing, the piano and guitar. It was not until 15, when his first song garnished attention on the Internet — since then he has been making music for the public.

The NYC native has been creating all his music since day one. As each track comes to life and relate to his experiences, they sounds and are told how he wants them. Some of Sal’s influences include Kanye West, The Weeknd, Drake, Justin Bieber, Bryson Tiller, Travis Scott and Chris Brown. With every project, he strives to help his fans while attempting to outdo himself.

Messages is a project, hosted by DJ Flipstar focusing on subliminal messages related to a recent fling; simply put, a vague title with various meanings. “I Keep Falling” paints vivid pictures of missed calls and early mornings via a heavy R&B introduction. Sal becomes passive aggressive over minimalist echoes in “I Can Never Love You Like Him”. He tries to cope with his feelings and assess the convoluted situation via melancholic tracks like “Sorry to Say” and “Party”. Both “Why” and “Heaven” incorporate crisp instrumentals to create room for a desolated demise.

The project production becomes more upbeat with “Permanently Broken”. But becomes, gloomy and downplayed once again as Houdini attempts to make her feel guilty in “Wrong Love”. By “I Promise I Won’t Be Long”, Sal is more brutally honest. Her commentary [in the track] supplements a double perspective, filling in vague gaps. Faheezy jumps on the project for “In Love With You”, a crooning confession.

“Rocky” merges a slow-paced sonic production with Rocky commentary to shape him as focused on being better off without her. Sal sings a remorseful aria over piano in “Winter Nights”, as he proclaims to be a changed man. Finally, with a Kanye West produced closer, Houdini is indifferent and fed up by reiterating to delete the meaningless messages.

It was an interesting portrayal of unsuccessful affair — a wide array of beats combined with bitterly heart-wretching lyrics. Ultimately, causing an intense storyline depiction of missed calls, numbed-drunk nights and regret. His mixtape might be comforting during or by the end of cuffing season.

Following Messages, an album is set to release in 2016. This forthcoming project is the type of music that you would want to hear and be with somebody after listening. Fans can expect a lot of big things: from shows, collabs to radio play and videos.